Probe into widening of Kotturpuram road

CHENNAI: Chennai Mayor Saidai S Duraisamy told the Corporation Council on Thursday that a detailed inquiry would be conducted into the possible subversion of laws by the previous regime for the “personal gain” of DMK leaders. The issue in question is the plan to widen the River View Road on the banks of the Adyar in Kotturpuram, which the Mayor said had been in blatant violation of the norms.Attacking DMK, Duraisamy alleged that the previous regime in Corporation had made several concessions in violation of rules. “The road in question is the River View Road in Kotturpuram. There are seven houses and two empty plots along the stretch. It is a 20-feet road. Subversion of laws and rules to serve the interests of its own people is nothing new for the DMK. That’s what happened here too,” said Duraisamy.“With the aim of delivering benefits to their its own leaders living there, the DMK regime first announced that it would be setting up parks along the banks of the road. Mud was dumped along the banks for this purpose. This itself was a violation of rules,” said Duraisamy. Right from the period of MGR, embankments on the stretch had prevented  water-logging in the area. The parks served exactly the opposite purpose, for which the PWD has spent Rs 70 lakh since 1990 to maintain the embankments.“A scam has taken place for the mere purpose of personal gain in the name of people’s welfare,” the Mayor added.Explaining his allegation, he said the existing road was 20-feet wide. A wider road would mean a higher floor space index rating, which in turn would mean better property price. It was for this that the DMK regime subverted the law, he alleged.Duraisamy told the Corporation Council’s year-end meeting that a detailed inquiry would be conducted and the report would be made public soon. Action would be taken against those responsible for the violations, he said.